While I should have been tidying today, to get ready for High Speed Broadband, as I've said I found a duplicate CH book. I've been looking at the photos of the little boys at London and Hertford. Some of them look very young. What was the youngest they started boarding? I'd always assumed it was 9 the age my brother started.

Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!

When I started in1964, there were two little nine-year-olds admitted at the same time in 1's. One was Ann Stevens, not sure about the name of the other little girl - they seemed tiny to a big eleven year old like me! But an intake of nine-year-olds must have been recent, because they were First Form, and most of us went into the Third Form straight away. Some had been Second Formers, being admitted at ten years old!

"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""

Angela Woodford wrote:When I started in1964, there were two little nine-year-olds admitted at the same time in 1's. One was Ann Stevens, not sure about the name of the other little girl - they seemed tiny to a big eleven year old like me! But an intake of nine-year-olds must have been recent, because they were First Form, and most of us went into the Third Form straight away. Some had been Second Formers, being admitted at ten years old!

So in the early 1960's, there must have been quite a difference on the admittance ages between Horsham and Hertford.

I wonder how this affected the latest transfer from Hertford to Horsham a little later ?

I was 11 and 3 months when I started (in the Upper). My ex-prep contemporaries had been in the Prep for two years, which was common, so they would have started in the September after their ninth birthday. I don't think anyone was in the Prep for more than two years, and I don't think anyone started in the Upper in those days below the age of 11. So I would say that in mid-century at least, Katharine's brother was typical.

Yes when I started at Hertford in 56 at 11years old in dual 3rd forms, there were about 10 girls in the only 2nd form and only 6 in first form, That's how we had 36 in each of the two junior Wards (1's and 5's),

J.R. wrote:I was 11 and 6 months in January 1958 when I started in Prep B.

The fellow new boys were all around the eleven year mark, so the age on intake must have been increased between the 40's and the 50's.

That certainly looks strange to me. I was 9 years, 2+ months when I joined in Prep A 1952; that seemed to be about a common age. We went up to the senior school aged 11 or so which was the age that boys were joining senior houses from outside.

I think we have to consider the ages of other boys in our houses - it is one thing to mix 9 and 10 year olds, a very different thing if they had mixed 9 year olds with 19 year olds (which they didn't)

‘So, still happy you voted for my namesake who took away your health insurance, raised your taxes and should turn out to be a mental patient?’

J.R. wrote:I was 11 and 6 months in January 1958 when I started in Prep B.

The fellow new boys were all around the eleven year mark, so the age on intake must have been increased between the 40's and the 50's.

That certainly looks strange to me. I was 9 years, 2+ months when I joined in Prep A 1952; that seemed to be about a common age. We went up to the senior school aged 11 or so which was the age that boys were joining senior houses from outside.

I think we have to consider the ages of other boys in our houses - it is one thing to mix 9 and 10 year olds, a very different thing if they had mixed 9 year olds with 19 year olds (which they didn't)

I think JR's memory is playing tricks on him. No one went to the Prep at that age.

Sorry, I posted that question and then went away to a fairly demanding conference.

To my mind, some of the little boys in the photos I was looking at, which date from about 1900, looked younger than 9. My question really was, was there a time when boys, and presumably girls, started younger than 9?

My brother has an end of July birthday, so would have been just over 9 when he started in Prep A, probably the same term as sejintej.

Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!

J.R. wrote:I was 11 and 6 months in January 1958 when I started in Prep B.

The fellow new boys were all around the eleven year mark, so the age on intake must have been increased between the 40's and the 50's.

That certainly looks strange to me. I was 9 years, 2+ months when I joined in Prep A 1952; that seemed to be about a common age. We went up to the senior school aged 11 or so which was the age that boys were joining senior houses from outside.

I think we have to consider the ages of other boys in our houses - it is one thing to mix 9 and 10 year olds, a very different thing if they had mixed 9 year olds with 19 year olds (which they didn't)

I think JR's memory is playing tricks on him. No one went to the Prep at that age.

Not sure what you mean Michael.

I was born 9th. June 1947 and entered Prep B at the very end of January 1958, = 11 and a 1/2 years in my book.

Going back to the original question I suspect that in 1554 the minimum age was far below even 9 because of the purpose of the institution.
Next question - what is the maximum age? I recall one pupil being placed "downstairs" and later being taken back into the school when she was in her twenties

‘So, still happy you voted for my namesake who took away your health insurance, raised your taxes and should turn out to be a mental patient?’